Northmere Holm 8x42 ED binoculars

Specifications

Description

The Holm 8x42 ED binoculars pair 42 mm objectives with extra-low-dispersion glass elements that reduce colour fringing around bright stars and the Moon. The 8x magnification gives an exit pupil of 5.3 mm, which suits most observers under moderately dark skies. The 7.4-degree true field produces an apparent field of about 59 degrees, enough to fit the Double Cluster in Perseus, the Pleiades, and a long stretch of the Milky Way in Cygnus into a single view.

Brace your elbows against your chest or rest the binoculars on a fence post or a car roof to hold the view steady. Use the central focus wheel to set sharpness on a distant star, then turn the right-eye diopter until that star is equally sharp with your right eye. The 17 mm eye relief lets you keep eyeglasses on and still see the full field, and the twist-up eyecups set the eye distance for both glasses and bare eyes. The phase-corrected roof prisms and multi-coated lenses keep star images round and contrast high across the field.

At 880 g, the Holm 8x42 is comfortable for hand-held sessions of an hour or more, and a parallelogram mount or tripod adapter reduces fatigue on longer sweeps. The fully sealed body is purged with nitrogen and resists fogging, so the binoculars can move from a warm room into cold night air without internal condensation. The 2.0 m close focus lets you view nearby foliage or a dew-covered garden, and the wide field helps when you follow a satellite pass or a comet across the sky. Observers whose maximum pupil is 5 mm or less may find that a higher-magnification binocular shows more detail under the same sky.

About this configuration

All configurations of the Northmere Holm 8x42 ED binoculars share the same magnification and objective size; the options below change the package and finish. Binoculars alone suit hand-held scanning of the Milky Way, bright star clusters, and the phases of the Moon. If you later want steadier views, the tripod socket between the barrels accepts a standard L-shaped adapter. Multi-coated optics reduce reflections at the main glass surfaces while keeping the price of this binocular low.

The slate gray finish makes the binoculars easier to find on a dark table than the black armor does. The optics in the 2024 edition match the other years; the changes concern handling details only. Before you add a mount or adapter later, check the compatibility notes for the thread and fitting that this binocular uses.

What's in the box

• Binoculars with neck strap
• Objective and rain guard caps
• Padded carrying case
• Lens cleaning cloth

Compatibility notes

• The central tripod socket accepts a standard L-shaped binocular adapter with a 1/4-20 thread.
• Fits parallelogram mounts and harnesses rated for binoculars up to 1 kg.